As someone that's listen to J-pop and K-pop since the late 90s, it's been interesting to see the trajectories of both genres these past decades, especially with what's going on now. I'm sure others might disagree on my points, but these are the things that stand out to me the most.

1. K-pop is just better? At least it is when it comes to making the kind of pop that is needed to crossover and/or succeed in a global landscape. Take a listen/watch of BLACKPINK's "DDU-DU DDU-DU" (https://youtu.be/IHNzOHi8sJs) and Red Velvet's "Bad Boy" (https://youtu.be/J_CFBjAyPWE). It's not hard to picture someone that enjoys pop music to hear these tracks, get a little interested, and decide to delve a little deeper into Korean music. I think they do a good of making songs that follow global trends (e.g., currently hip-hop and R&B influences) that still have elements that make them sound just different enough from Western pop to make it seem unique to Western audiences. This article from Rolling Stone (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-american-rb-songwriters-found-a-new-home-in-k-pop-627643/) interviews Western R&B writers that have started writing songs for Korean companies, and a common theme is that Korean pop is a little more dynamic and willing to play with melodies, harmonies and genres.

On the other hand, I don't think Japan is creating the kind of pop that appeals to Westerners, and the stuff that is "different" doesn't have broad appeal or just isn't good. If we're talking about stereotypical "cute" pop music from Asia, there's nothing from groups like AKB48 and similar acts that sounds as good as TWICE's "LIKEY" (https://youtu.be/V2hlQkVJZhE) or "TT" (https://youtu.be/ePpPVE-GGJw). TWICE has made Japanese albums too, and listening to their Japanese singles makes it really apparent how much more boring for formula for mainstream J-pop is (https://youtu.be/wQ_POfToaVY). For Japan, you have some stuff like Nakata’s acts (Perfume and Kyary) that are moderately popular, but that is still a pretty niche sound and style that can capture just a small segment of the pop music demographic. I think stuff like Gen Hoshino's "Koi" is great (https://youtu.be/jhOVibLEDhA), but it still doesn't really fit the mold of songs that have that broad appeal to young kids and teens in the West.

We can talk about all of the other factors that come into play in terms of pop music success, but at the end of the day, songs have to be good to get new fans and keep them listening, and as someone who has increasingly learned to appreciate pop music more over the years, I think modern K-pop simply sounds a lot better, at least for the mainstream stuff.

2. K-pop idols are better singers and dancers. Many of these K-pop idols join companies and go through years of vocal and dance training. That is not really the case for J-pop idols. Popularity and success in the music industry relies on factors beyond actual talent, but that perception of having performers that are talented goes a long way in terms of fan support. I can name a few off the top of my head that are known for being strong singers from Korea such as Ailee, Taeyeon (SNSD), Hyolyn (Sistar), Wendy (Red Velvet), Yuju (GFriend), and the girls of Mamamoo, but it's a challenge when it comes to the Japanese scene. There are interesting singers and voices like Aimer and Minami, but they do not make the kind of music that is going to generate hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, which is ultimately the kind of music that is required to generate the kind buzz that you are describing necessary to end up in an English language news feed.

3. Japan’s music industry is too insular, and they are stubborn and backwards when it comes to reaching global markets. They do not care as much about global expansion because their market is self-sustaining. The Japanese still buy a lot of CDs, and they don’t rely as much on foreign markets to survive. K-pop has always tried to expand to other markets (partly out of necessity), and it really shows. Their music videos often contain subtitles for foreign audiences, and their music videos and discographies are easily accessible on platforms like YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Japanese record companies still region block their music videos, and although there has been some progress, it is still difficult to find Japanese music on the aforementioned services. K-pop is all about mass exposure and generally do not care how the music and other media are shared as long as it gets out there. Try uploading a mainstream Japanese artist’s music on Tumblr or YouTube, and Japanese companies will block it or get it removed with the quickness. In contrast, K-pop companies do not enforce much of that at all, at least not on places like YouTube. They realize that they are pushing a brand and not just CDs. So what if you have people pirate some CDs? Dedicated fans will still buy and collect, and companies will still make money off other things like concerts, goods, brand endorsements, and increased exposure is just going to generate more of that. Japan doesn't put in the effort or practices to needed expand, and it's the complete opposite for Korea.

4. It's easier to follow the K-pop scene. K-Pop revolves around 3 companies. Well, and BTS’ company (Big Hit Entertainment). There are many smaller companies that are trying to make it too, but these 3 companies (SM, JYP, YG) dominate the market. This makes it extremely easy to follow K-pop music and news. Each of these companies has a limited number of acts that they actively promote, so there are just fewer things to keep track of, which means it is easier to follow all the major releases in the scene, especially for foreign fans. Aside from the AKB-styled groups, J-pop is not as consolidated, so as a foreign fan you are somewhat just left to doing a lot of research yourself.

5. Use of technology and social media. The growth in K-pop has coincided with technological advances and trends very well. Social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram) and streaming services (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) make it incredibly easy to follow, share, and consume K-pop news and music. K-pop also utilizes things like VLive (celebrity live streaming) to engage with fans. Fans will tune in to watch and chat/interact with their favorites. Even if they do not speak Korean, these streams are saved for later broadcast and often will have subtitles added (official or by fans) for foreign audiences. These groups also produce content like reality shows, and all of this builds a connection with fans (artificial or not). ?uestlove’s interaction with fans through OkayPlayer was a huge draw back in the day. Now imagine taking artist-fan interaction to another level and with all the technology and social media changes of the last decade. K-pop fans really like the social aspect of following groups that keeps them interested beyond the music.

There are other factors that I have less of a feel for, but things like gender and other demographic factors come into play as well. Boy groups are actually the huge moneymakers in K-pop, and their fan bases are heavily female-skewed. I think gender differences in interaction with the hobby (time and money spent, social media use) impact how the media decides to focus on K-pop in the news.